You've Got Yale
by Mac-alicious
Summary: Chad finds that the college experience isn't all it's cracked up to be, if you don't have someone there with you. Futurefic.


**A/N: **Here's my very first Chaylor oneshot. The ending was a bit more abrupt than I would have liked, but I wasn't sure about how to continue any further. The title was inspired by a Gossip Girl episode of the same title, though it doesn't have too much to do with the story. Please vote in the poll on my profile. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! –Mac

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HSM.

**You've Got Yale**

Chad Danforth had thought he had resigned himself to the fact that Taylor was off in pursuit of her Ivy League Dreams while he was staying close to home. He was sure he would be just fine with Taylor at Yale and himself at University of Albuquerque. College would be a whole new social scene and he didn't want to have anything to hold him back—even if the thing was a highly attractive, smarter-than-hell, amazing girlfriend. He had thought Taylor felt the same way.

That was before it had become a reality. Before Troy and Gabriella had started sending updates about how great it was to be close to each other. Before Chad had gotten to U of A and felt so entirely alone with only Sharpay as a familiar face around campus—he couldn't fault Troy for choosing to be close to Gabriella, but Chad had planned on having at least one friend to share the experience with.

Everything was too _real_ to him without anyone around to keep him grounded. Suddenly, leaving his relationship with Taylor back in high school seemed like a huge mistake. Even with the distance, at least if he had her to talk to, he would have a voice of reason in his life. Someone to tell him that he needed to make some new friends—because new friends didn't necessarily mean he had to let go of his old friends. Someone to make him promise to study—even if they knew he would probably never actually follow through. Someone to talk him out of going to a party the night before an exam—or at least berate him when he goes anyway.

He realized somewhat, if not too, late that he still needed Taylor in his life—and he wasn't sure he would ever _stop_ needing her.

He hated to admit it, but everything in his perfect plan for the future was going wrong. Sure, basketball at U of A was exactly what he had hoped it would be—but without someone to share the excitement with, it had diminished in value slightly. He still talked to Troy regularly and kept in touch with most of the old gang, but it wasn't the same. They were all busy with their own things. Troy was juggling basketball, and theater, and Gabriella. Zeke was absorbed in his cooking (Chad still didn't understand that—but he didn't complain when Zeke sent out "samples"). Jason was, well, Jason.

And Taylor had Yale.

Chad didn't want to lay all his problems on Taylor—he knew she was probably weighed down enough with all her own issues as it was. But he had gotten to the point where he felt he had no other choice but to see her. He picked up his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts until he reached Troy's name. He took a deep breath and pressed send.

"Well if it isn't Chad Danforth," Troy replied upon answering. "Haven't talked to you in like a week. What's going on?"

"Is Gabriella with you?" Chad asked.

"As a matter of fact she is," Troy answered, slightly confused. "Are you standing right behind me or something?"

"No," Chad responded, "But I need to talk to Gabriella."

"Huh," Troy said, "Why?"

"Just let me talk to her, will you?"

"Okay," Troy drug it out. Then slightly muffled, Chad could hear, "It's for you."

"It's Chad?" Their distant conversation continued, trickling through the phone.

"Yeah," Troy replied.

"Why does he want to talk to me?" Gabriella questioned.

"I don't know," Troy responded. "Just take the phone."

"But—"

"Hello?" Chad called out, somewhat frustrated, "Still here you know?"

There was the small sound of the phone being moved and then Gabriella's voice came clearly over the line, "Hey Chad, what did you need?"

"I need to know where I can find Taylor," Chad blurted out.

"That's a silly question," Gabriella laughed lightly, "She's at Yale."

"I _know_ that," Chad said through his teeth. "But you know her dorm room and everything don't you? I need to know exactly where to find her. I want to talk to her."

"Couldn't you just call her?"

"Do you have to be difficult?" Chad countered her question.

"What does he want?" Troy's voice popped up.

Gabriella's voice grew distant again, as if she leaned away from the phone, "He wants me to tell him which dorm Taylor is in at Yale."

"Why does he want to know?" Troy asked.

"Let me ask," Gabriella responded, "Why do you want to know?"

"So I can talk to her," Chad repeated.

"About?" Gabriella prompted.

"It's a private matter," Chad answered, "Can you please just give me the address?"

"I'll give it to you, under one condition," Gabriella responded.

"What's the condition?" Chad groaned.

"When you go to New Haven to be all romantic and ask Taylor to get back together with you, make sure Taylor calls me to tell me everything after you sweep her off her feet," Gabriella replied.

Chad's mouth dropped open, "How did you—"

"You're transparent, Chad," Gabriella laughed, "Okay, write this down. Taylor is in Hadley Hall…"

Chad grabbed a piece of paper and pen and jotted down the building and room number that Gabriella repeated back to him. He put down the pen and took another look over the address. He was going to do this. He allowed himself to smile—relief was already beginning to seep back in.

"Thank you, Gabriella." Chad said.

"No problem," Gabriella responded. "Good luck."

Troy's voice was heard just before Chad hung up, "Go get her, man!"

-+-+-+-+-

Chad rode out a rush of confidence all the way to the airport, onto the plane, and through the entire drive to the Yale campus. It ran out about ten feet from the door to Taylor's dorm hall. So he was just sitting outside staring at the door, trying to work up the courage to take at least one step forward. Just when he was about to move, a couple of girls began to cross his path.

"You wouldn't happen to have the Poly Sci notes would you?" The one he could see clearly said.

"Of course," The other, obscured by her friend, responded. "You want to borrow them?"

"Do you mind? Oh, you're a lifesaver." The first one squealed.

Chad could see the other girl was carrying a hefty stack of books and folders. He watched as she tried to balance them on one arm while simultaneously trying to pull a stack of papers out of one of the folders. It was a disaster waiting to happen. As predicted, just as the papers came loose, the rest of the books went toppling to the ground. Chad instantly moved to help them pick it all up—hoping the activity would help clear his head.

"Let me help you with that," Chad said already gathering up a couple of papers and books.

"That's sweet of you," came the first girl's voice.

"It's no problem," Chad responded, looking up to meet two smiles and two pairs of eyes. And he saw the second girl for the first time.

"Chad?" She exclaimed.

"Taylor," Chad breathed.

"You know this fine gentleman?" Her friend asked.

"We went to high school together," Taylor answered offhandedly, her eyes locked on Chad's.

"But I thought all your friends had stayed out west? You know except those two at Julliard, they're a pair," The friend replied.

"You hang out with Ryan and Kelsi?" Chad frowned.

"We've taken trips to New York a couple times," Taylor answered, then changed the subject. "What are you doing here Chad?"

Taylor stood with her friend, straightening out her books. Chad followed suit and handed her the few things he had picked up. "I came to see you."

The friend seemed to pick up on the hint, "You know Tay, I'm gonna head inside. I'll see you in a few minutes…" then under her breath as she walked away, "…or hours."

"Chad, you could have called, you know?" Taylor stated with a small sigh.

"I know, but I was feeling spontaneous," Chad responded, "It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be smoother and mildly romantic. I was going to show up at your door with some grand speech that would make you melt. It was going to be amazing, you would have loved it. It was better than my cafeteria invitation to prom."

"What happened?" Taylor asked.

"I got sidetracked…"

"By what?"

"By intimidation and fear of rejection. I lost the words, and I couldn't get my body to move," Chad smiled weakly.

"It wouldn't have worked. As you can see I wasn't there and you need a key to get up to the rooms anyway," Taylor explained, smiling widely.

"Well, I'm glad I stayed out here then," Chad said.

Taylor nodded, "Me too. Someone might have called Security on you."

"Would you like to grab dinner?" Chad asked suddenly.

"I'd like that," Taylor agreed. "Let me run my things up to my room and I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting," Chad called after her.

And he would be—he'd wait forever for this girl, he had realized that when he decided to fly across the country to see her. He only hoped he wasn't too late to win back her heart.

-+-+-+-+-

Taylor suggested a small place she, and her friend from earlier (her name was Andrea, Chad had learned), went to frequently. Over dinner, Taylor told him about all her classes, how she was handling being so far away from home and the trips to New York she had mentioned. Chad told her the obligatory details about basketball, the classes he had signed up for, and how he wasn't studying much (she scolded him and made him promise to start up a study schedule like he knew she would). It wasn't until they were finished eating that they got into the serious subjects that had brought him to where he was.

"So Chad, do you want to tell me why you're really here?" Taylor questioned, concerning her words.

Chad sighed, "I feel…I feel like I'm floundering—Basketball is great, but I feel so isolated. Troy has Gabriella less than an hour away. Ryan and Kelsi are at the same school. All I have is Sharpay on the other side of campus. And I haven't spoken to you in like three months. It doesn't feel worth it if I don't have someone to share everything with."

"If you were feeling so terrible, why didn't you call sooner?" Taylor responded.

"Well, you've got Yale and all your own issues, I didn't want to unload on you," Chad admitted.

"You should have called me Chad. I would have been there for anything you needed."

"I know that," Chad nodded, "I needed to be able to admit I still wanted to be with you—and it took me a long time to let go of all the BS I had been telling myself since I broke up with you."

"We were still friends. You could have called," Taylor shook her head.

"I was so sure I wanted to move on from you," Chad explained, "I kept stopping myself from picking up the phone. But I know now…that I need you. No one else will do."

Taylor smiled, "I missed you these last few months."

"I missed you too," Chad reciprocated, "Taylor McKessie, would you do me the honor of making me the happiest guy on the planet, and take me back?"

"Of course," Taylor nodded vigorously.

On instinct, Chad moved so he could kiss Taylor soundly. She responded with equal fervor. And with that all the stress weighing Chad down melted away. Everything had fallen in place.


End file.
